CES Day 2: Streaming Cubes, Robotic Snakes and Even More Activity Monitors

LAS VEGAS -- Ah, CES. We're waiting for the real action to start today, so we spent Tuesday taking one cab after another to press conferences, waiting in epic lines for events we'd already RSVP'd to and eating finger foods like mini crab cakes and cheesecake on a stick.

Still, we managed to get some quality time with the latest tech and toys, including new robo-Legos, a wireless charger and yet another FitBit. And a light switch. Because, you know, we love light switches.

Asus Qube

Being an Android-powered video player with a "Q" name, the Asus Qube does feel somewhat like a spiritual successor to the ill-fated Nexus Q. Both are small, oddly shaped streaming gadgets running Google's software. But the Qube is almost certainly more useful.

Asus' device uses an altered Google TV interface that relies on an on-screen cube, which rotates to reveal content from Google TV, Netflix, Amazon and other streaming sources. The cube UI is controlled by a motion-sensing remote control, which features a keyboard and a built-in microphone for Google TV's voice search. Asus has also built a remote app for Android, so you can control the Qube from a phone or tablet.

It does picture-in-picture, so you can watch two shows at once, and it uses Google TV's built-in Chrome browser to let you browse the web on your big screen.

As of now, there is no pricing information, but Asus said the Qube will be available late in the first quarter of the year. — Nathan Olivarez-Giles

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Huawei Ascend Mate

The Ascend Mate, the newest phone from Chinese manufacturer Huawei, is dumbfoundingly large — its display is a massive 6.1 inches, half an inch bigger than the already silly-huge Samsung Galaxy Note 2.

The 1280 x 720 touchscreen is actually quite advanced. It uses what Huawei calls "magic touch" technology, which lets you control the handset through a number of common materials, such as leather gloves. Richard Yu, the chairman of Huawei's consumer division, even successfully tapped and swiped the Ascend Mate with his silk tie covering his fingertips. The giant size means the phone also has a giant 4,050 mAh battery. Yu claims the Mate has the best battery life of any phone in the world: 22 hours and 13 minutes of talk time.

The phone is also fully water-resistant and packs a 1.5GHz quad-core CPU (Huawei wouldn't name its supplier) and 2GB of RAM. It runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and is skinned in Huawei's Emotion UI.

Hauwei's new smartphone goes on sale in China later this month. The company says it's in talks with U.S. carriers to bring its own branded phones stateside. Huawei's best bet of reaching U.S. consumers this year is likely T-Mobile. The nation's fourth-largest carrier has sold phones under its MyTouch brand in the past, as well as a 7-inch Huawei tablet branded as the T-Mobile Springboard last year. — Nathan Olivarez-Giles

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Basis

Basis is another wearable activity tracker (there are quite a few at CES this year) that will track your movements and sleep patterns. Bonus? It also tracks heart rate. And of course, there's an app too. The app lets you create and keep up with healthy habits, and change them around to work for you.

The Basis looks well done, and it's interesting to see the concept of a device not just tracking your activity, but working with you to help change it. One thing I really like about Basis is that it's a watch. A straight-up watch — not a yet-another-thing to carry with you, but something that can replace your existing timepiece. And even better, it's a small, lightweight, good-looking watch too. It's $200, which is pricey for the category, but it's also very cool. — Mat Honan

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Fulton Two-Way Wireless Charging

What's cooler than a device that charges wirelessly? A mobile device that can wirelessly charge a second mobile device.

Fulton Innovation showed me a Samsung tablet outfitted with its latest wireless tech. It could receive power through a standard wireless charging pad. Then, the tablet was removed from the pad, and a smartphone with wireless charging capabilities was placed on the tablet's back. And voilà, the tablet started charging the phone.

The expectation isn't that you're always going to be using your tablet as your phone charger. But the capability to piggyback power wirelessly between devices could come in handy during tight situations — like when your phone is sapped, and you can sacrifice the battery life of your tablet to give your phone a boost. — Alexandra Chang

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

NXP Kinetic Energy Switch

This light switch powers itself — it's a "smart" switch that wirelessly transmits signals to the GreenWave system of IP-enabled LED lights, but the switch doesn't require any sort of hard-wiring. You just attach it to your wall, and the switch is capable of doing its thing using only the kinetic energy it harnesses when you tap it. In addition to turning the lights on and off, it also has a dimmer function.

It only works with the GreenWave LED light system, so it can't control your old-school lighting setup. Time to upgrade. — Roberto Baldwin

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Lego Mindstorms EV3

Legos rock. Robots rock. Legos and robots together really rock, and we love the third generation of Lego Mindstorms.

I've always loved Mindstorms, which combine the fun and ease of Lego with motors and a processor to provide an engaging and fuss-free introduction to robotics. Mindstorms EV3 brings more tech to the toy so kids can make robotic creations more complex and interactive than ever.

In the 15 years since the Mindstorms line debuted, Lego has worked hard to understand kids and what robots mean to them. Children tend to see robots as having personalities and minds of their own. Kids don't want to simply build a robot, they want to interact with it. And so Lego Mindstorms EV3 creations are designed to be more playable and interactive than their predecessors, with IR sensors that look like eyes, and new remote controls. The snake-like robot uses its IR sensor to detect when something crosses its path, then strikes — that's sure to be a hit with kiddos. EV3 can be controlled with iOS or Android devices over Bluetooth. (Lego has found most kids have iOS devices, while the majority of older users are Android owners.)

Inside, the EV3 brick (the brains of the new Mindstorm) has a Linux-powered ARM9 processor with 16MB of Flash memory. For storage, there's 64MB of RAM and an SD card slot. Four input and four output ports let you string multiple bricks together to create more complicated creations. The EV3 also comes with two touch sensors and three servo motors, as well as an improved six-color sensor. Lego also improved the on-brick programming interface.

If you've already got a NXT, no sweat — EV3 is backward compatible, so you can combine old and new parts to your heart's content. They'll be available this summer for $350. — Christina Bonnington

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Stern Pinball the Pin

There's a pinball renaissance going on — at least according to Stern Pinball. The company announced its new machine, dubbed "The Pin," which is priced and sized for in-home use. Also, unlike old-school pinball machines, it's relatively user-serviceable, with removable glass.

Personally, I would love to have one in my living room. And according to Stern, other people feel the same way — the company's sales have jumped 32 percent in the last year.

The machines are currently available with themes of The Avengers and Transformers, with more to come. You can get one for your own home for around $3,000, about half the price of more professional, arcade-ready machines. — Alexandra Chang

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Fitbit Flex

Fitbit announced a new activity tracker on Monday, and it's very, very cool. Like all previous Fitbits, this is a wearable tracker with an accelerometer. Like some of the other products in the company's lineup, it also tracks your sleep. But the key differentiator to the new Fitbit Flex: it wraps around on your wrist, so you can wear it for weeks on end without ever taking it off. You won't leave it in a pocket accidentally. You won't forget to put it in a separate band at night. It's always there, monitoring. And while it's monitoring, it fires data back to a smartphone app (Android or iOS) via Bluetooth. You can set goals in the app, and the bracelet will light up to show you how you're progressing toward meeting them. It's lightweight, stylish, and (best of all) will set you back less than a C-note. What a great little device. — Mat Honan

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Pentax MX-1

The "enthusiast" camera market continues to sizzle. These shooters are hot, and easy to spot — they're more capable and more expensive than traditional pocket-sized compacts, yet they're much simpler than their interchangeable-lens cousins. The emphasis is on quality, from the old-timey analog manual controls to the faux-nostalgic styling. And of course, awesome lenses and powerful sensors — they take killer photos, but they won't clash with your tweed and leather haberdashery.

Pentax has just thrown a slow one right down the center of this particular strike zone: the 12-megapixel MX-1. The sensor is a big 1/1.7-inches, and the lens is a 28-122mm, f/1.8-2.5 zoom. Unlike the other retro-styled enthusiast cameras we've seen recently, it uses an articulated LCD instead of a traditional viewfinder, and it lacks both a manual control ring and a hot shoe. The standout feature is unique, though: the painted brass body panels above and below the grip, which will age beautifully as you use it. Just like Tom Waits, it keeps getting cooler as the years tick by.

Ships in February for about $500.— Michael Calore

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

HipKey

Here's something for those of us prone to losing our iPhones, keys or purses. The hipKey will keep your stuff from disappearing at the local German bar or being left behind on the kitchen counter. Danish company Hippih created the app-enabled Bluetooth-connected key fob. It sounds an audible alert and/or vibrates your iPhone you when you leave the fob behind, or if an item with the key fob attached to it is moved. There's even a mode specially designed for keeping track of your child.

The device comes with four modes: alarm, child mode, motion mode and a "Find Me" feature. When the item (or child) the device is attached to gets out of range, the hipKey alerts you. The device has a maximum range of 50 meters (164 feet), and the radius of the fob's "safe Zone" can be adjusted from two meters (6.5 feet) up to 50 meters (164 feet) so your iPhone won't buzz and squawk every time your kid walks to the bathroom.

The iOS-only hipKey sells for $90, and will be available in Apple retail stores at some point in the near future. — Roberto Baldwin